Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-08-26
NOTE AND COMMENT.

That 'politics make strange bedfel-
lows" is trite proverb, but it never
made stranger ones than when it induced
George William Curtis to lie down with
Eugene ggins.- Phila Inquirer.
Alvan Clark, the great telescope ma
ker, is dead at his home in Cambridge,
Mass. He was the son of an Ashville,
Mass, farmer and did not begin the bus-
ness of telescope-making till he was II
years old
At recent convention of stenograph-
ers no one could write fast enough to
win a prize offered to the one who should
write 250 words minute for five consec-
utive minutes and afterwards read his
notes correctly.
1t is found by Chicago paper which
has watched the workings of the eight
hour movement carefully that by far the
larger part of the workmen spend the
extra two hours in saloons and that the
consumption of beer has been increased
one-fifth.
The Maryland Republicans, who met
in convention Wednesday. declare. among
other things. THAT the President of the
United States by his action in regard to
the federal appointments in this State
has given conclusive evidence that his pro-
fessions of civil service reform are hol-
low and delusiye,''
The United Labor party of New York
State held convention at Utica last
week, and, after repudiating the Social
sts-greatly to the disgust of the latter,
of course-adopted a George platform
and nominated Henry George for secre-
tary of state. DR.. McGlynn was prom
nent member of the convention.
Francis Murphy, who is the most sue
cessful temperance worker in the coun-
try, says: "If had to take my chances
of doing good in political way for the
temperance cause, would join the Re-
publican party" This explains why
people who do temperance work with
their mouths call Mr.. Murphy a hypo-
crite.-[ Springfield Union.
The American farmers are not likely
to be deceived by the sophistrics of the
free traders at home or abroad. Protec-
ton has given them the home market
without competition, and the prosperity
and enterprise engendered by it have en-
abled them to control the markets of free
trade England as well. They are not
such fools as to kill the hen that lays
that golden egg Boston Pilot
The Congregational Year Book for
1887 reports a larger number of additions
on confession to the Congregational
churches of the country than ever before,
the total for the year being 7,l66. The
largest previous figures were 2j,202 in
1859 and 24,l3S in 1877. The net gain OF
membership during the last year was
l7.SlG; which is l0.22l above the aver
age gain of the previous % years.
The New Hampshire legislature de
clines to endorse the Blair bill, whicl
proposes to distribute government funds
in aid of schools. The bill has always
been favored by the legislatures of South
ern States, such as Louisiana, Mississippi
Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and Alabama
while the border States have opposed it
1t is an interesting fact that the only
school funds in Kentucky and Missour
are the proceeds of the national revenu,
distributed in 1897.
Defective postal accommodations, du,
to the appointment of incompetent per
sons TO places in the service, are not con
fined to the North, apparently. Th'
Democratic Times-Union of Jacksonville
Fla, says; IF there is any department
of the government work with whicl
politicians should not be allowed t,
monkey, it certainly is the mail service
which is so closely connected with tn,
business interests of the country, ant
upon the accuracy and regularity o
which so much of business prosperity
depends. such mail service as we nov
have in Florida is not only disgrace t.
the government, but it is serious draw
back to the prosperity of the State"
The coroner's jury at Chatsworth, Ill.
lays the whole responsibility of the acci
dent there upon the foreman of the sec
ton, who, it is claimed, set fire to til
grass by the roadside near the culver
and then did not watch it. The dispatcl
giving the verdict says; "The manage
ment is not censured for running doubl
header, for lax system of track inspec
ton or anything else. The verdict sim